The organisers of Healthcare Estates 2013, Step Exhibitions, say this year’s attendance ‘continued the increases seen since the move to Manchester’, and included 401 attendees at the conference; and a record number at the Awards Dinner, of 435.
The chance to hear from Dr R Chandrashekhar, the Chief Architect at India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on a major healthcare construction programme currently ongoing across the vast country, an address on estates and facilities priorities going forward by the Chief Executive of the recently formed NHS Trust Development Authority, David Flory, and a rousing keynote speech on overcoming adversity from Falklands war veteran, Simon Weston, describing his recovery after suffering 40 per cent burns when his ship was hit a bomb form the Argentinian airforce, were among the highlights of a varied conference programme at this year’s Healthcare Estates show in Manchester.
A well-attended exhibition, meanwhile, saw a number of ‘household names’ in the healthcare sector returned to the exhibition in 2013 including Altro, British Gypsum, Maquet, Getinge Group, Reliance Water Controls, Salto Systems, Starkstrom, Thorlux Lighting, and Whitecroft Lighting.
Event director, Steve Webb said: “The majority of exhibitors generated good leads from the event and once again they felt the quality was very high. As with all events, there could always be more people through the doors, but what the exhibitors have stated once again is that they would rather see quality over quantity.”
Plans already in hand for the 2014 IHEEM show include the introduction of a another new awards category for ‘Product innovation of the year’, as well, on the exhibition floor, as an Energy Theatre; a Mental Health & Dementia Theatre; an NHS Sustainability Theatre, and a Contractors’ & Architects’ Theatre.
Healthcare Estates 2014 will take place from 7-8 October 2014 at Manchester Central (www.healthcare-estates.com)
